Dundee United supporters in bid for Jim McLean statue

Group hopes to raise £75,000 for a monument to the legendary manager outside Tannadice.

Jim McLean: Managed United until 1993.
PA

A group of Dundee United fans are organising a fundraising scheme for a statue in honour of club legend Jim McLean.

The supporters are looking to raise around £75,000 for the statue which will be located outside Tannadice.

McLean moulded a team on a shoestring budget which won back to back League Cup Finals, and then the Premier League title in 1983.

But their success was not just domestic - in 1984 he steered his side to the semi final of the European Cup.

Just three years later he saw United reach the Uefa Cup Final, famously beating Catalan giants Barcelona in both legs en route.

Denis McGurk, from the Dundee United Supporters Foundation, is one of the fans behind the statue bid.

He said: ""There was a groundswell of opinion across all Dundee United fans that it was time Jim McLean joined such football greats as Sir Matt Busby, Jock Stein, and Sir Alex Ferguson in having a statue in his honour."

Hamish McAlpine, who played for the club from 1966 until 1986, supports the campaign.

He told STV News: "If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have got to where we were.

"He made you work hard. His football knowledge was great, he was ahead of his time.

"We didn't always appreciate what he was doing for you, but as long as you were in the team on a Saturday, that was the main thing."

The club is fully behind the campaign for a statue for McLean, who managed the team from 1971 to 1993.

A spokesman said: "We are very happy to engage with the supporters groups, via their working party, on the suggested proposal to erect another permanent tribute to Jim McLean.

"Once the proposal is agreed, we would seek to provide a suitable location within the grounds of Tannadice."

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